Opinion

After a few days of summer-like conditions, it seems a weekend that feels much more like fall is on tap for the D.C. area.

Outside some showers tonight, the forecast is calling for a pair of crisp, windy fall days on Saturday and Sunday. That means weekend events like the Samuel Beckett’s Celtic Festival and the shrimp boil at the Rhodeside Grill should go off without a hitch.


Around Town

The Sichuan Wok Chinese restaurant in Ballston seems to have closed.

The restaurant, located at 901 N. Quincy Street, has been closed during normal business hours for the last two days and caution tape now blocks off its entrance. No one answered the phone at Sichuan Wok this morning (Friday).


Events

The Rhodeside Grill near Courthouse is gearing up to celebrate the biggest college football game of the year, so far, with a watch party and shrimp boil.

The restaurant, located at 1836 Wilson Blvd, is planning to celebrate LSU’s clash with Alabama Saturday night (Nov. 3) in traditional southern fashion, according to a news release.


Around Town

Potomac CrossFit in Courthouse has shut down, just a few weeks after celebrating its 10th anniversary in Arlington.

The gym’s last day offering classes was last Friday (Oct. 26), according to employees at a chiropractor operating adjacent to the gym. Potomac was located in the base of an office building at 1320 N. Courthouse Road.


Around Town

The 7-Eleven convenience store along Washington Blvd in Virginia Square has closed.

Signs informing would be patrons of the closure now adorn the storefront at 3461 Washington Blvd, next to Rocklands Barbeque and across the street from a Giant grocery store. Its windows are now covered up, and workers appear to be in the process of emptying out the shop’s contents.


Schools

A parent of an autistic student at Carlin Springs Elementary worries that school officials are pushing her son into general education classes too quickly, and she’s taking the school system to court in response.

Jemie Sanchez says that school officials assured her last year that her son, Christopher, would continue to primarily learn in small classes when he moved up to kindergarten this fall, with attention from a special education teacher. But she says she subsequently discovered her son has been spending his time in larger, general education classrooms instead, and can’t understand why educators would make such a change.


News

Arlington’s top prosecutor now says she’ll no longer seek cash bail for people accused of most low-level misdemeanors, in a bid to avoid jailing people simply because they can’t afford to pay their bond after they’re charged with a crime.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos, a Democrat, announced Thursday (Nov. 1) that her prosecutors will now only seek cash bonds in cases involving drug dealing or drunk driving. She added that her office will simply describe the facts of a defendant’s case and any prior criminal history, and leave it up to a judge to decide the circumstances of any pretrial release.


News

Democrat Matt de Ferranti wants to end child hunger in Arlington if he wins a spot on the County Board next week, and he says he can achieve that goal in the next four years.

In debates, campaign mailers, and his official platform, de Ferranti has pledged to ensure that no child in the county goes hungry by the time his first term on the Board would be up in 2022.


Around Town

If your jack-o-lantern is starting to get a bit droopy now that Halloween has come and gone, Arlington is offering an eco-friendly solution.

The county is offering to compost pumpkins for free this Saturday (Nov. 3). Anyone interested in recycling their gourd simply needs to drop it off at the county Trades Center at 4300 29th Street S., any time between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.


News

Read through Thomas Oh’s campaign platform too quickly, and you might come away with the impression he’s a Democrat.

Consider that he supports efforts to combat climate change, he backs some gun control measures and he’s refused to accept any money from Virginia’s electric utility companies or from political action committees, a series of positions favored by most on the left in this day and age.


News

(Updated Thursday at 3 p.m.) Metro leaders are hoping to increase service during the morning and evening rush hours next year, but they could well face an uphill battle in convincing Arlington officials to help fund the change.

WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld proposed a budget for the new fiscal year that doesn’t include any fare increases, but does call for rush hour service to extend to 10 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. to better serve commuters. The budget, set to be reviewed for the first time by Metro’s Board of Directors tomorrow (Thursday), also beefs up service on the Yellow and Red lines and expands all trains to a maximum eight cars as part of a broader bid to win back riders for the struggling rail service.


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